Monitoring the quality and conditions of a surface can be advantageous for array of manufacturing processes. For example, the indication, identification, and quantification of contaminants such as grease or dirt are vital in painting or coating processes, forming laminates, applying adhesives, etc. The identification of contaminant species and their levels are important because species and levels are factors as possible progenitors of bond failure modes. While the exact mechanisms can vary, it is widely held that surface contaminants interfere with formation of surface to adhesive bonding, either through the mechanisms of interference with density of bonds between the surface and the adhesive, or by diffusion-related processes of contaminant into the adhesive, which may lead to a weakening of cohesion within the adhesive itself. The effects of these processes are verified by several tests, including by peel tests, where the adhesive layer is essentially peeled away from the substrate. For example, peel tests of surface contamination levels of grease remaining on a steel substrate have demonstrated that surface contamination reduces bond strength. In critical bonds, therefore, a determination of contamination level of surface, prior to application of adhesives, may be essential.